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Tag: South Africa

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By dpmitchel

Sanibona from South Africa!

As our program is nearing the beginning of our ISP period, we are ending the classroom academics and preparing to go out into our various research endeavors.  We finished our Zulu course, have heard many lectures on community health and policy, and have completed 3 homestays.  We spent a week travelling to two rural homestays, Impendle and UMthwalume, which were wonderful experiences to help us gain perspective on health issues from a more rural point of view. We finished our main 5-week homestay in Cato Manor, and it was sad to say goodbye to our families!

Currently, all of us are currently busy trying to make last-minute changes to our research projects.  Although I was investigating the topic of emergency care in South Africa, I started toying with the idea of doing a hospital shadowing for my ISP.  We went on an excursion to Chatsworth, a predominantly Indian township near Durban, and visited a hospital there, which piqued my interest.  What cemented my decision was a recent visit to St. Mary’s hospital, a Catholic non-profit District Hospital that is both privately and publicly funded.

When we visited, we had the chance to see their maternity ward, antenatal clinic, and labor and delivery ward, and that reminded me just how much I loved my original topic of research! I originally wanted to compare the rates of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in public versus private clinics. After spending time in South Africa, I know that would be near impossible to investigate in the small 3-week research window we are given, but I think I have found a way to adapt my original topic.

We (as undergraduates) are not allowed to conduct research in a hospital setting in South Africa. So instead of doing research, I will be completing a Learnership, which will is purely observational and non-publishable. For my Learnership, I’ll be observing prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) protocols at various stages in pregnancy at St. Mary’s Hospital. Hopefully I’ll get to shadow in the antenatal clinic, the maternity in-patient ward, the nursery in-patient ward, and the midwifery and obstetrics unit.  This way, I can get a complete understanding of the PMTCT process from counseling newly pregnant women to testing newborns for HIV. What makes this topic so relevant to the community is that HIV is a potent reality for a sizeable portion of KwaZulu-Natal, the province we are studying in.

I’m all set up to start November 1st, and I can’t wait to start shadowing!

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By tinavisc

Americans in Cape Town have a knack for finding neighborhood markets. While a good portion of foreigners do infest the myriad craft/clothing/food markets scattered around Cape Town, a large population of Cape Townians themselves integrate market living into their weekly lives. I thought I’d share some of my favorite markets and why they’re so special.

The City Bowl Market is the smallest one I’ve been to, but has the most loveliness to offer. Situated in the trendy Gardens neighborhood of Cape Town, City Bowl is organized in a small community center and attended by 20-somethings and families alike. Various vendors selling Indian street food, gluten-free baked goods, jewelry, wine, and veggies ensure that everyone can take something of value away from the market. The broody solo guitarist may get you down on occasion, but the wine tastings remind you that market-chilling is the way to build some great community spirit.

The Old Biscuit Mill, which did in fact manufacture biscuits once-upon-a-time, has turned into the place to be on Saturday mornings. Hundreds of people swarm the market to wander around a vast array of prepared foods, quality which is ever elusive everywhere outside of the market itself. This past Saturday, a ‘gypsy jazz’ band local to Cape Town, Manouche, serenaded market goers with a bluesy singer, accordion, bass, guitar, and fiddle. My personal favorite moment of the morning was enjoying my freshly squeezed spinach and kale juice while listening to the band jam out to Summertime.

The Cape Town Crafts Market, located right off the V & A Waterfront, offers the best choices for those looking to bring back gifts from abroad. While this market, yes, does cater mostly to tourists, the products sold are ones of quality and charm. My favorite vendor sells jewelry all made by him, cut from colored clay. A couple of my friends even splurged on an African drum to add some spice to our American bubble lives back in student housing.

Visiting neighborhood markets has been the most fun and interesting way to integrate Cape Town culture into our student lives. I highly suggest checking out the local markets wherever one might decide to travel, in the very least you’ll get a great souvenir for home; best case scenario: you learn more than you’d ever imagine about the daily lives of locals.

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By tinavisc

I’m finally in the last 3 weeks of my semester and have been contemplating all the adventure trips I’ve yet to check off my to-do list. Cape Town has so much to offer adrenaline junkies like myself, so I thought I might list a few things in writing to encourage me to knock a few off my bucket list:

1.Skydiving -on every single person’s bucket list on this planet. Cape Town offers the most beautiful fall from a plane in the world. The ride itself up into the sky boasts views of all Cape Town’s attractions, from Table Mountain to Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela spent 20 years imprisoned while battling the Apartheid regime), to the incomparable Atlantic coastline. A bird’s eye view of Cape Town coupled with the threat of impending doom is sure to set every adventurous soul ablaze.

2.Paragliding from Lion’s Head. Lion’s Head, one of Table Mountain’s peaks, offers a 360-degree view of splendor. Willing participants jump alongside trained professionals right off the side of one of the world’s most beautiful cliffs straight into bliss. Threats of 50-knot Cape winds don’t stop anybody from sailing over views of the South African horizon at sunset.

3.Shark Cage Diving. Sharks cluster around vulnerable humans wailing around in chummed water, stirring their appetites for human flesh. Until you look a great white shark in the eyes, you can’t die fulfilled.

4.Abseiling. Otherwise known as ‘repelling’ in the USA, Abseiling offers the thrill of one slim ling holding your body weight over the side of an entire mountain. If the threat of the drop doesn’t distract you too much, the sight of the beautiful geology and stunning city are enough to curb your adrenaline fix for another few months at least.

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By tinavisc

As the end of the semester is approaching at the University of Cape Town, I've been reflecting on my time studying over the last 3 months. One of the biggest surprises I encountered when I first arrived in Cape Town was the academic culture of UCT. At first I was inspired by my world-renowned professors at the top of their respected fields in Southern Africa. Each professor was truly passionate about their research and sharing their knowledge with us young minds. After the first week, however, their projected tasks for the semester grew daunting.

My study abroad program, CIEE, explicitly warned us of the work load we would encounter at UCT. Often times Americans come in expecting a sort of working holiday while abroad. To succeed at UCT, however, only those on top of their game from day one will survive. The structure of courses is as follows: There are, on average, 2 essays assigned for the entire semester, perhaps a mid semester test, and finally, a final test worth 40-60% of your grade. And that's all. On first glance, this set up sounds like it leaves a lot of wiggle room, but in reality the greatest amount of your final grade is based on how much work you put in throughout the semester, teaching yourself the material and reading ~3 academic papers per class per week.
Much more emphasis is placed on the students -we're expected to put in a lot more work on our own than we're used to at home.

Navigating through this system was tough for me, as it was for many of us abroaders, because I was constantly tempted by the thrills of Cape Town as a city. I glanced at the syllabus, realized I had only a couple of essays and a test, and happily pushed off putting in the work in the beginning. Catching up has been extremely difficult, but my final exams are only in 2 short weeks.

Because I've had a difficult time balancing abroad life with academics, I have some very important advice for future study abraders: Stay on top of your readings from the first day you arrive in your host country. There will be plenty of time to do everything your heart desires if you maintain a manageable amount of work throughout the week. Getting behind may give you an extra day to explore the city in the beginning, but will have you reeling to catch up at the end, when you want to spend more time outside of the library to take advantage of your last few weeks before you arrive back at home (it'll be over before you know it!). Never forget to enjoy your free time abroad, but balance is key!

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By tinavisc

This past weekend was spent at Rocking the Daisies, an annual music festival held about 1.5 hours outside of Cape Town. Youngsters, Oldsters, and everyone between gather for 4 days of rockin', rollin', and campin' on the Cloof wine estate in beautiful Darling, South Africa. Besides the gale-force winds, the weekend couldn't have been more perfect. What stuck out to me was the diversity of the crowd, much like that of Cape Town. Different races and religions joined together garbed in a rainbow of neon socks and face paint to celebrate music and that joie-de-vivre. As an American in the crowd of the Daisies festival, I stood out more than I expected, and certainly more than I do around my university's campus. Upon hearing my American accent, many South Africans around me and my fellow Americans were suddenly inundated with inquiries as to our nationality. I suppose many foreigners stick to the major cities when traveling around South Africa, so our presence was as much a surprise to them as their interest was a surprise to us. All in all, the festival was similar to those in the States.

We battled the wind to keep our tents together and upright, we were denied showers for four days, we cooked bacon and eggs on a burner the size of a candle, we lost shoes and cash, but we were reminded of our humanity in this world -something so valuable to remember so far from home.

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By tinavisc

A day or two will go by and I’ll barely remember that I’m living 5,000 miles away from home until I notice the quirky yet routine differences between Cape Town and Washington DC. I’ve put together a short (fun) list on some culture shock triggers that always remind me I’m far from home:

1.Wearing shoes in Cape Town is entirely optional. On nice and sunny days, you’re sure to find a handful of students on campus going about their business barefoot. The closer you get to the beach, the fewer people with shoes you’ll see. I tried this one custom out for myself today. I went to the city’s botanical gardens barefooted and delighted. I didn’t get one strange look on the way, and feeling the grass beneath my feet was incomparable, but the soles of my feet sure did hurt when I got back inside.

2.Minibus drivers will yell at anyone and everyone to get them on board. They’ll even yell amongst themselves when driving close by to each other (all friendly, of course). Main road in any part of Cape Town is laden with minibuses and the persistent hollering so quintessential to the minibus industry.

3.Barbed wire around every single wall serves to remind us of the crime so present within South Africa. I remember how uneasy the barbed wire made me when I first arrived, but it always prompts me to be careful and aware of my surroundings.
4.Traffic light’s are called “Robots.” I still can’t stop chuckling when someone asks to turn at the “robot.”

5. Greetings are of the upmost importance to Cape Townians. Almost every interaction begins with, “Hello, how are you?” to remind everyone we’re all human.

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By dpmitchel

On my SIT abroad program, our schedule and classes are focused around building up our final independent study project (ISP).  We can choose from any topic that we like, and it’s been hard to narrow it down! Everyday we have speakers from the local university, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, or from health leaders around South Africa. Coming into the program, my original idea was to compare the rates of HIV transmission from mother to child in private versus public clinics.  However, after discussing the idea with my Academic Director, completing primary research about that topic in such a short amount of time is not realistic.  Also, from discussing health issues with local South Africans and observing health in my homestay, there are so many other cool topics to choose from!

In one of our classes, our lecturer was discussing emergency medicine in South Africa. As a certified EMT-B, I listened intently.  He said “everyone is really critical of ambulances,” and as to their reliability, it boils down to questions of will the ambulance come? Will it not come? When will it come? What happens if the available ambulances don’t work? What if road conditions in rural areas become unfit for driving? All of those seemed very relevant questions to consider.  These ultimately become questions of access, which I think would be really great to study for my independent study project. Plus, I’m curious to talk to some South African EMT’s! I’ve talked to my Academic Director and it’s a large possibility that I can do ride-alongs in the local Durban ambulances.  That way I can get perspectives on care from the EMT’s firsthand.

As part of our SIT curriculum, we created and conducted Family Health Surveys for our homestays. We are currently staying in Cato Manor, a lower income (relative to America) area in the outskirts of Durban.  Interviewing them to get their perspectives on ambulatory care was very interesting.  From their accounts, emergency care in South Africa is very hit-or-miss.  One of my family members said that for children, the ambulances arrive very quickly, but for older people, they come very slowly. I’d be interested to investigate the triage system in the public emergency services systems, especially because public EMS here is often under-resourced and understaffed.

The main challenge I will have in gathering data for my ISP will be the language barrier.  We are taking Introductory Zulu, the primary language of KwaZulu-Natal, and although we can speak a little bit, it’s hard to conduct interviews with potential miscommunications. SIT is preparing us for this challenge, however, with our immersions in Zulu-speaking homestays. Overall, I’m excited to keep researching and investigating my research project while enjoying my time in South Africa.

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By mtumasz

New Zealand vs. South Africa Rugby Match

Ok guys, here's the scoop. I'm a huge rugby fan (and I also play for GW). Rugby is New Zealand's main sport. Their national team, the All Blacks, are incredible. Last weekend, I went to their match against South Africa. I thought the atmosphere at the game was going to be similar to something like an American football game, but I guessed totally wrong.

First off, the city of Auckland (where the game was held), gave free bus and train transportation to the game stadium, which was on the outskirts of the city. Once you got there, you were surrounded by happy fans, everyone wearing jerseys or hats, or whatever paraphernalia they had. I entered the 48,000 person-capacity stadium and took my seat (second row behind one of the end zones, I might add) and automatically felt energized. There's just something about watching a live game in person that gives me such an adrenaline rush.

Anyways, before the game starts, the national anthems of both countries are performed, but then the All Blacks perform their legendary haka, which is a traditional Maori war-cry that is now mostly known for the pre-game tradition for the Blacks. Once this was completed, the game starts and from the first minute, the game is extremely intense. New Zealand and South Africa are huge rivals, so tensions were high.

Half time comes, and the Blacks are ahead, but not by much. Second half is just as intense and invigorating as the first, and as the final minutes wind down, everyone in the stands is cheering and hollering, because the All Blacks are going to win. Final score: New Zealand 29, South Africa 15.

My friends and I head to the train station to go home, where once again, it's free, thanks to the city of Auckland. We are surrounded by happy fans, even South African ones! No fights broke out, there was no rude language, and everyone was just genuinely happy to be in each other's presence. This was a drastic change from American sporting events...

Overall, the game was incredible, and if anyone is in New Zealand, I highly recommend checking out an All Blacks game. It was definitely one of my favorite experiences so far!

Cheers Mates!

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By tinavisc

I was warmingly warned of this phenomenon called "Africa Time" the second day after I arrived in South Africa. Apparently many foreigners have come from their organized, timely homes only to discover time does not exist in Africa as it does in most other continents of the world. Time, here, is not so much a number to be counted, but a feeling to be sensed. "Now" doesn't necessarily mean immediately.
For example, someone may tell you they'll attend to a task "now now," which could range from 20 minutes to 2 hours. "Just now" ranges from 2 hours to 2 days.

During the time I've spent here, I've come to loving accept "Africa Time." It's one of the many things I've found Africa to do better than at home. Allowing ambiguity in a timetable allows for unforeseen circumstances -opportunities to thoroughly live in the present without worrying about what you must do in the future. It allows you to fully appreciate and think about exactly what you're doing in the moment. I've never felt more at home.

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By tinavisc

Upon arriving in Cape Town, I was inundated with the amount of community engagement opportunities available to students: working with children in schools, organizing creative or sporting events with young ex-convicts, volunteering at medical clinics, interning for an academic department at the university...the list goes on.
Feeling overwhelmed and gloomy that nothing presented to me seemed to be a good fit, I outsourced my search to the world wide web. I knew from the get-go that I desired an engagement opportunity that would both expand my own knowledge of the world and allow me to contribute something positive to the city providing me with a home for my months abroad. ...continue reading "the big blue"

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